author
Sir Evelyn Ruggles-Brise
1857–1935
A leading British prison reformer, he is best remembered for helping create the Borstal system for young offenders. His work left a lasting mark on how rehabilitation was understood in England.
1 Audiobook
The English Prison System
by Sir Evelyn Ruggles-Brise
About the author
Born on 6 December 1857 in Finchingfield, Essex, Sir Evelyn John Ruggles-Brise became one of the most influential figures in British prison administration. He was educated at Eton and Balliol College, Oxford, and went on to build a career in public service focused on the prison system.
He is best known for promoting and developing the Borstal system, which aimed to treat young offenders differently from adult prisoners by emphasizing training, discipline, and reform. That approach made him a major voice in the shift from purely punitive imprisonment toward rehabilitation.
Ruggles-Brise later served as Chairman of the Prison Commission and was widely associated with prison reform in Britain during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He died on 18 August 1935, but his name remains closely tied to one of the best-known experiments in modern penal reform.